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Hoover police chief and mayoral candidate Nick Derzis speaks to an audience at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover City Council candidates wait to talk at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. From left are Robin Schultz, Ashley Lovell, Copeland Johnson and Tanveer Patel.
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Hoover police chief and mayoral candidate Nick Derzis speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover police chief and mayoral candidate Nick Derzis and candidates for the Hoover City Council pose for a photo at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover City Council candidate Copeland Johnson speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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David Bannister, left, stands with Hoover police chief and mayoral candidate Nick Derzis as Derzis takes questions at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover City Council candidate Ashley Lovell speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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David Bannister, left, speaks at an event to get to know candidates for the Hoover City Council and mayoral candidate Nick Derzis at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover City Council candidate Robin Schultz speaks at an eleciton event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover Councilman Casey Middlebrooks speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover City Council candidates participate in an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover City Council candidate Tanveer Patel speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover Councilman Steve McClinton speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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People listen during a meeting to get to know Hoover police chief and mayor candidate Nick Derzis and nine Hoover City Council candidates at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Former Hoover Councilman Gene Smith speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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Hoover Councilman Derrick Murphy speaks at an election event at the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
Hoover police chief and mayoral candidate Nick Derzis and nine Hoover City Council candidates or their representative spoke to about 40 people in the Green Trails at Lake Wilborn Clubhouse Sunday night.
The event was organized by Trace Crossings resident David Bannister as a way to help people in the community meet Derzis, and Derzis asked that City Council candidates be invited as well, Bannister said.
It likely was the most broad-based election-related event to take place thus far this election season. Bannister said all known candidates were invited except Brocato.
Derzis was the first candidate to speak and said there are numerous issues that motivated him to run and that he would like a chance to address as mayor. One of those is transparency, particularly the way numerous people have been treated when asking questions at City Council meetings.
Numerous people, upon asking the council or mayor questions, get “almost demonized for asking them” and often don’t get responses to their questions, Derzis said. He believes people deserve answers or at least a response that someone will try to get the answers to questions and respond later with a reply, he said.
Derzis also said he was concerned about what he considers to be a lack of planning that led to the mayor presenting large “urgent” expenditures for the council to consider quickly in recent months, including $6 million to replace aging equipment for the city’s sewer system that serves Riverchase and Inverness and $4 million to help fix stormwater problems at or near the Riverchase Village shopping center.
Derzis also noted that part of Brocato’s platform when he first ran for mayor nine years ago was to build a performing arts center in Hoover. Still today, the city has not identified a location for such a center or developed a definitive plan for paying for it, he said.
Numerous residents across the city are having problems with stormwater, some claiming due to the actions of other parties. One of those areas is the Green Valley community, where some residents say stormwater flooding was exacerbated by a project to install curbs and gutters on Patton Chapel Road — a project jointly funded by the federal government, Jefferson County and the city of Hoover.
Derzis said if stormwater is coming from another area onto someone’s property and causing problems for that property owner, the city might have some obligation to take a hard look at solving the problem instead of just claiming no responsibility.
The police chief also said safety and education are the two primary reasons people move to Hoover, and as mayor, he would work to maintain that level of safety and educational success.
Derzis said he also doesn’t believe the city has been aggressive enough at economic development, especially when it comes to the Patton Creek and Riverchase Galleria shopping centers. He also has concerns about the economic development incentives approved for the Riverwalk development in Riverchase and will be giving more specifics about that in the coming months, he said.
One resident asked Derzis about what he meant by his slogan of “make Hoover Hoover again.”
Derzis said Hoover once was considered a leader in many areas among cities in Alabama and a place that has “standards of excellence.” Now, other cities like Trussville and Alabaster are making things happen, and Hoover, while still a great city, is not taking the lead with proactive leadership, he said.
The Hoover City Council candidates who were present at Sunday night’s meeting in Trace Crossings included current councilmen Steve McClinton, Casey Middlebrooks and Derrick Murphy and announced candidates Copeland Johnson, Ashley Lovell, Tanveer Patel, Robin Schultz and Gene Smith. Candidate Liz Lane was out of town but had a representative speak in her place.
Stormwater flooding was a common theme among the candidates. Murphy said the city first needs to get a better assessment of the condition of the stormwater systems in the city.
The City Council in March reallocated $483,398 of money left over from completed capital projects that came in under budget to stormwater control. Up to $200,000 will be spent on an assessment of the condition of stormwater systems in the Green Valley area, and the remaining $283,398 will go toward miscellaneous drainage projects.
Other areas of the city will need to be assessed next, he said.
Murphy, an assistant general manager for the Birmingham Water Works, said city officials ought to be evaluating rates charged for the city’s sewer system every year instead of waiting years before making adjustments.
Numerous candidates echoed the call to keep public safety and education high priorities and stressed the need for better accountability and transparency in government.
Lovell talked about the need for smart growth, including repurposing empty retail spaces and better gauging the type of residential housing needs in the city, and Patel talked about the need to help small businesses thrive, relieve traffic congestion and expand high-speed internet.
McClinton said Hoover needs an aggressive sales force to sell the city to the kinds of businesses it wants to attract, and Schultz said there’s a need for greater fiscal responsibility, questioning the city’s expenditures for Riverwalk Village.
Lovell, Johnson and Sara McDaniel (a representative for Lane) talked about a need for some fresh, younger leaders in city government, and Smith — who previously served 16 years on the City Council — focused on his experience in city government as a plus.
Both Smith and Middlebrooks noted they in the past have not shied away from asking questions about issues before making decisions, and Middlebrooks said he on numerous occasions stood alone or in the minority on voting against certain proposals brought to the council.
There were a few votes where someone asked him to go along with something to get along, but the times he did that, he did not sleep well, he said. He felt much better and slept better when he was true to his convictions, he said.
Tuesday, June 10, is the first day candidates can officially qualify for the 2025 city election. The qualifying period lasts two weeks and goes through June 24. The election is Aug. 26.
